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Jayne, Jessica
& Mac MaKenny
Site 2, Box 6, RR 1
Priddis, Alberta, T0L 1W0
Toll Free: 1-877-931-3245
403-931-3245 (Phone/Fax)
Contact RANCH Now |
HOMEPLACE RANCH
&
HORSEBACK ADVENTURES
The Ultimate Horseback Holiday
These two family owned businesses have joined together to offer
you the ultimate horseback holiday. Homeplace Ranch has been family
owned and family run by the Makenny family for 30 years. Horseback
Adventures has been family owned and family run by the Vinson family
for over 26 years. With this much experience in horseback holidays,
you are guaranteed to have an informative, fun and safe trip.
Start your holiday by arriving in Calgary. Your first day of riding
will be spent in the high cattle country of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
and foothills. The Homeplace Ranch is nestled in the high foothills
(4900 ft) of the Rockies between Banff and Calgary. The Homeplace
can accommodate 14-16 guests in private rooms with private baths,
plus western style living and dining area with wood burning stoves
and an outdoor hot tub. All meals are served family style with all
guests and staff eating together at one long table.
You have the option each day of riding for the full day or half
day. Riding varies from mountain valleys to high foothills, crossing
numerous streams, meadows and old Indian trails.
A typical week at the Homeplace Ranch may look like this:
Day 1 - Arrive at Homeplace anytime after 1 p.m. Upon arrival,
grab a fishing rod for a walk along the creek, have a
game of horseshoes or just relax and settle in. Enjoy
supper topped off with home-baked bread and pastries.
Day
2 – If you wish, come out in the morning to help
groom. Have a hearty ranch breakfast of biscuits, bacon, eggs,
pancakes and coffee. A horse is given to you when you arrive.
Our cowboys will spend time showing you how to become comfortable
and work with your mount. Then we head toward the high country
a 12 mile ride over easy terrain including a trail lunch. When
you return relax in the hot tub or have a game of horseshoes
before an outdoor steak BBQ.
Day
3 - If you're staying the week you might want to spend
time checking cows. This can be prearranged or you can
take circle rides each day from the Ranch, just to enjoy
the scenery and solitude. Trips by car, to Banff, Calgary,
Spruce Meadows or Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump can be
easily done, using the Ranch as your home base.
Day
4 - You might like to ride for the morning and take in
an afternoon polo game or shopping in Calgary, or enjoy
the whole day riding with lunch on the trail around the
campfire with cowboy coffee.
Day 5 - 7 - Continue
with more trail riding from the lodge or depending on the season,
enjoy the following:
- Care and grooming of horses plus
daily ranch work
- Riding Lessons
- Rodeo and Polo games to attend
- Visits to Calgary, Banff and other local areas
- Community dances, dinners and parties
- Golf at nearby Winter Green Country Club
After your last day at
the Homeplace Ranch, jump into your car and prepare yourself
for the breathtaking drive up the Icefield Parkway to Brule (Jasper).
The next leg of your ultimate horseback holiday begins at Horseback
Adventures, located in the Rock Lake Solomon Creek Wildland
Provincial Park along Jasper National Park north boundary.
You will take part in a4 day horseback trail ride cabin
vacations at West Range Cabins. Experience the beautiful
backcountry of the Canadian Rockies without leaving all
of the comforts of home. Enjoy private, heated, single
bed, bunkhouse style, cabins. The central dining lodge
has plenty of room to relax, read, play cards or visit.
Home cooked meals for breakfast and supper, and bag lunches for
the trail rides are all provided.
Your 4 day pack trip may look like this:
Day
1 - Meet at the ranch at 9:30 am the morning of the ride
departure. We will pack up all the gear on the pack horses.
We are on our way, riding up the trail, crossing Solomon Creek
and climbing high to come out on a bench overlooking Solomon
Creek with a beautiful view of Solomon Valley, the first range
of the Canadian Rockies. After a relaxing lunch we will continue
riding up the valley through Aspen Forests and along the mountain
trail, finally descending down to the valley floor and arriving
at West Range Cabins approximately 4½ hours total riding. Once here your gear is unpacked from
the horses and you can settle into your cabin. Refreshments and
snacks are served in the main dining lodge before dinner at 6pm.
Day
2 - Wake up to the beautiful smell of fresh mountain air.
Breakfast at 8:30 am. After breakfast we will ride up to the
top of Paradise Ridge a fantastic high mountain ride where the
trail is steep and has several switchbacks. Once on top you will
see views you only dream about. After a relaxing lunch we begin
our descent back down to the valley floor. You will have to walk
down in certain spots, too steep to ride down. You will ride
approximately 5 hours today. You will arrive back in camp with
time to relax before dinner at 6pm. After dinner you may want
to enjoy a short hike before relaxing around the campfire to
end the day.
Day
3 - Breakfast at 8:30am. After breakfast we saddle up and
are on the trail at approximately 10am. We will ride
into the headwaters of Solomon Creek on an ancient trail
that has been used for many years, but by very few. The
trail is very rustic with several creek crossings through
pine and spruce forests past beaver dams and up a small
feeder stream that puts us at timberline adjacent to
Peterson Ridge. You will again have fantastic views after
a short climb to an open top approximately 6000ft above
sea level. This is a great spot to enjoy your lunch,
take some pictures and if you have binoculars a perfect
time to look for wildlife. We have to walk the horses
a short distance back down the steep spots and return
to West Range approximately 5pm. Dinner at 6pm with a
gathering around the campfire again tonight.
Day
4 - After breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes we pack
all our gear on the pack horses and head back for the
ranch. We follow Solomon Creek down the valley and will
lunch at Prine Creek. The remainder of the ride we are
backtracking from the first day and will bring us back
to the ranch in Brule, approximately 3pm. Here you will
say goodbye to your faithful mountain horse, until you
return another year.
Package Pricing
4 days/3 nights at the Homeplace Ranch $ 874 CDN
4 days/3 nights at Horseback Adventures $ 835 CDN
7 days/6 nights at the Homeplace Ranch $1507 CDN
4 days/3 nights at Horseback Adventures $ 835 CDN
All taxes and service charges included.
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